APRIL 6 REFUND THREAD: Have you received your refund?

[Mrvic]

Need some advice here! We have a cruise scheduled for May 17th. They say we have until April 16th to cancel. If we cancel we lose our deposit and insurance? If they cancel we don't? Is there any chance May 17th sails?

New to the forum thanks for any help!!!

[Roadie90]

Came here looking to find out whether people were getting refunds yet. I had two staterooms and was supposed to cruise Mar 16 but got cancelled two days before.
 

I filled out a form requesting a refund for both rooms and wrote to the official Carnival Customer Relations email. Also tried calling without success and I didn’t hear back for a couple weeks with no refund. So I submitted a dispute on my CC and got a conditional credit from them (Citi). 
 

I still have no refund as of today but Carnival did respond to Citi (big surprise, huh)! All I got from Citi was that they heard back from the merchant, are reviewing the info provided and would give me a decision in 10 business days. 
 

This is frustrating to say the least. Why can I get no response from Carnival but they do respond to Citi? I thought offices were closed so they wouldn’t be able to generate a response? I wonder what documentation they provided? 
 

I’ve been on multiple cruises with Carnival but at this point I don’t care if they blacklist me like people claim they might do. I just want my money back that I could definitely use at a time like this. I’ll update you guys if I hear anything back. 

[rukkian]

1 hour ago, 48traveler said:

I called Carnival today and got a live person in one minute or less. He was very nice. He stated they are all working from home and that some refunds may take more than 90 days. What I wanted to know was since our May 11 cruise was cancelled , which I had pre paid gratuities on, would they still be included as part of our new, Sept 14, hopefully, sailing. He said they were not and would be part of my refund. I also asked his gut feeling on Sept sailings and he said Sept is looking good although I am a bit skeptical. I asked again about the over 70 letter and he said that requirement was for those early March sailings. Just wondering if anyone is hearing different than me ?

Not exactly the same, but our prepaid gratuities got credited to our new sailing that we used the fcc on.  Our excursions and cruise cash are (supposedly) getting refunded, but will be gc, since that is what I used to pay for them.

[CherylNMO]

28 minutes ago, Mrvic said:

Need some advice here! We have a cruise scheduled for May 17th. They say we have until April 16th to cancel. If we cancel we lose our deposit and insurance? If they cancel we don't? Is there any chance May 17th sails?

New to the forum thanks for any help!!!

I am a part of a Facebook group that sails on May 17 with Carnival and one of the other members said their travel agent was told that there won't be any cruises in May.  I am waiting until Carnival cancels (which I have a feeling they will be doing at the end of April...but I think they just need to come out now and tell us.  I wonder if they are strategically doing this in order to have people cancel by April 16 so they will book a future cruise instead of getting a full refund in hopes of staying afloat.)

[SRQbeachgirl]

Cancelled March 9, no refund yet for paid-in-full cruise fare, taxes, fees, and 3 excursions (over $3,000).

[tdggal1980]

Cancelled 3/13 for a 3/15 sailing - was told 7-10 business days for refunds (port fees/taxes, CHEERS, Spa, specialty dining) and nothing received to date.

[chasinraynbowz]

I am going to be in the same boat (pardon the pun) as the rest of you.  Our cruise is scheduled for May 25 and I doubt we are sailing.  We are going to rebook though.  

 

However....

 

We also have canceled a cruise on another line for mid October due to our Aussie friends not being able to join us.  The lady I spoke to at the other cruise line said they usually take up to a week for refunds, but to plan on at least 3.  So they are in the same situation as Carnival.  It will be interesting to see how quick I get that refund.

[Mrvic]

CheryINMO thanks for the reply! What do you think the chances are there will be a May 17th sailing? When do you think they may announce cancellation?

[mouche]

2 hours ago, Mrvic said:

Need some advice here! We have a cruise scheduled for May 17th. They say we have until April 16th to cancel. If we cancel we lose our deposit and insurance? If they cancel we don't? Is there any chance May 17th sails?

New to the forum thanks for any help!!!

I don't believe you will sail, but that's only my opinion though. Sorry😔

[bstel]

cancelled 3/30, still no refund.  cancelled via the website.

[ZoeyVictoria]

We rebooked our cruise on March 27, along with the family members we are cruising with.  Our PVP called me, then immediately called the others.  They received an email today showing the new cruise and the correct amount of OBC, and also received their refund for excursions.  Nothing yet for us.

[jules7883]

My cruise was canceled by Carnival on April 1st. It was the June 9th to Alaska from Seattle. I have over 14k tied up from 3 cabins and excursions. I keep reading on this site, Facebook groups, and other sites that nobody has actually received a refund. The more I read, the sicker I feel. Especially since I see people who canceled before the ships all stopped sailing haven't received refunds either. This was our once in a lifetime trip. I can't imagine losing all of our money that we saved up. We didn't buy any insurance. Stupid, I know. 

[luv2trvlnow]

I wonder how everyone booked.  I cancelled 2 cruises after some of the people who have posted on this and other threads.  That was on March 11 and had my refund for the cruises and the excursions on March 13.  Our cruises weren't included in any of the offers that required you to make a choice of refund or FCC.  

 

We were the ones that cancelled not Carnival. 

We were also before final payment.

We had booked with a refundable deposit so there were no penalties.  No Early Saver etc.

 

I keep thinking ours my have been handled by their automated system since 100% was refundable.  It would be helpful to know if others had a penalty that would result in a FCC or had to choose their option. This might be why most are not receiving a refund yet since it might have to be processed by a human not by computer.  There may be money there just no one to process it.  Our refunds totaled over $3500.

[jneaves]

Well, maybe I am the odd man out but our March 29th cruise was cancelled and 3 days later got about a 45 % refund back on my CC.  The other 55% went to a FCC and got a 600 OBC for a future cruise.  We had a reservation at the steakhouse but have not received that refund yet

 

But our June 19th cruise to Norway was cancelled and I am waiting on that refund which we picked 100% refund.

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, jules7883 said:

My cruise was canceled by Carnival on April 1st. It was the June 9th to Alaska from Seattle. I have over 14k tied up from 3 cabins and excursions. I keep reading on this site, Facebook groups, and other sites that nobody has actually received a refund. The more I read, the sicker I feel. Especially since I see people who canceled before the ships all stopped sailing haven't received refunds either. This was our once in a lifetime trip. I can't imagine losing all of our money that we saved up. We didn't buy any insurance. Stupid, I know. 

Don't beat yourself up on the insurance aspect since under the circumstance they very likely wouldn't cover any losses from this chain of events. 

[JustJosephine23]

1 hour ago, jneaves said:

Well, maybe I am the odd man out but our March 29th cruise was cancelled and 3 days later got about a 45 % refund back on my CC.  The other 55% went to a FCC and got a 600 OBC for a future cruise.  We had a reservation at the steakhouse but have not received that refund yet

 

But our June 19th cruise to Norway was cancelled and I am waiting on that refund which we picked 100% refund.

That’s awesome you were able to receive a refund! When did you request it??

[DWolf2020]

2 hours ago, jneaves said:

Well, maybe I am the odd man out but our March 29th cruise was cancelled and 3 days later got about a 45 % refund back on my CC.  The other 55% went to a FCC and got a 600 OBC for a future cruise.  We had a reservation at the steakhouse but have not received that refund yet

 

But our June 19th cruise to Norway was cancelled and I am waiting on that refund which we picked 100% refund.

Congrats! We actually had the same thing but we cancelled on March 9th and got our FCC and 45% refund back.

We're waiting on our FCC conversion back to a full refund.  I think because you chose the FCC/Penalized refund option, they're quick with those because they want you to rebook ASAP...anyone who is pursuing a full refund they're taking their sweet time with.

[surrealuv]

I canceled my 4-27-2020 cruise on March 12th and booked a 4-27-2021 Cruise same day. They made me pay a $400 deposit and moved most of my money to the new booking. They still owe me quite a bit that's supposed to go back to my American Express, refunds for two excursions and my gratuities. Today I did receive my $600 OBC that I had filled out the new form about a week ago. So that's good. They are working on the submitted forms.

[bud]

I attempted the cancelling process for medical reasons before Carnival cancelled everything.  I had Carnival Insurance and went through all the hoops.  I received an email that everything was in order from the insurance co and it will be processed.  A day later after Carnival stopped everything, I received an email from insurance saying that since carnival cancelled everything and the fact Carnival will refund,the  insurance said they are stepping away.  I recontacted my PVP, who said they are working on it and claimed was in the Q.  He could not state any further.

Like others have said,, nothing to verify this from carnival or any additional information regarding any refund from carnival accept verbal from PVP.

Very frustrated.

It would be nice to have this money at this time.  very poor customer service.      

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, bud said:

I attempted the cancelling process for medical reasons before Carnival cancelled everything.  I had Carnival Insurance and went through all the hoops.  I received an email that everything was in order from the insurance co and it will be processed.  A day later after Carnival stopped everything, I received an email from insurance saying that since carnival cancelled everything and the fact Carnival will refund,the  insurance said they are stepping away.  I recontacted my PVP, who said they are working on it and claimed was in the Q.  He could not state any further.

Like others have said,, nothing to verify this from carnival or any additional information regarding any refund from carnival accept verbal from PVP.

Very frustrated.

It would be nice to have this money at this time.  very poor customer service.      

The other cruise lines are in the same, um, boat. It's not poor customer service when the system is overloaded with the number of requests (and very likely a reduction in staffing because of all of the stay at home orders). 

[TeresaJ]

Cancelled my March 15 Horizon cruise on March 8. At the time, they were only offering FCC for the late cancels which was fine with me. Since then, I received a letter stating I can actually get a 100% refund or the 100% FCC + $600OBC. Still deciding what I want to do on that. We re-booked Mardi Gras January 2021 and I'm starting to wonder if that ship will sail so not sure if I want to take a gamble on the FCC. We also have FCC with Norwegian, so I have a lot of cash tied up in cruises right now!!

 

I have received the following refunds from Carnival:

Taxes, port fees, and tips (received next day on March 9)

Shore excursion (received next day on March 9)

 

I have NOT received a refund for the Cheers or Soda Packages I had pre-purchased for four (2xCheers and 2xSoda) for like $850 or something like that. Sure hope that refund comes soon. When I cancelled on March 8, the representative from Carnival told me that I would get the drink package refund within 7-10 business days. That was however before the complete shut down when they began telling people refunds within 90 days. I have a feeling I won't be seeing that refund any time real soon.

 

 

[DWolf2020]

Folks - Carnival is NOT working on anyone's refund forms/requests.  At this point, we would've heard a trickle of customers stating they are getting their refunds.  There has not been one, single person who has gotten their "100% refund" since the March 13 "Policy Update".  I've been tracking it on this board and on Carnival's Facebook.  If you think you're waiting in line, you definitely are, but the door at the end of the line has been closed for a while.  At most, all the requests are just piling up at Carnival Accounting and just sitting there.  The customer service rep. will tell you that your "refund is being processed" but it's clear that they're not actually initializing the refund or you would've gotten it in the standard 3-10 business days.  They're holding them up.  My guess is that Carnival is securing funding, loans, etc. to try and stay afloat and also ensure they can refund their customers.  This whole process can take a few months, hence why they're telling everyone "90+ days".  Problem is, they should just acknowledge this in a way because the situation isn't ideal and it's obvious we all want our money back.  As days go by, customers are going to get more frustrated and Carnival will continue to lose customer confidence.

Carnival acknowledged that they have offices in Miami closed because of the State-wide order.  We assume the accounting dept. is closed as well and their system doesn't allow workers to work remotely and issue refunds (it hardly even allows their employees to send e-mail confirmations...what a joke).  That'd be a lot of people's personal data they are taking home.  However, what is completely contrary is that their customer service dept. and PVPs are still working...obviously to ensure there is a cash flow for Carnival to take with bookings.  They want to see money coming "in" but are not ready just yet to see money going "out".

[sparks1093]

54 minutes ago, DWolf2020 said:

Folks - Carnival is NOT working on anyone's refund forms/requests.  At this point, we would've heard a trickle of customers stating they are getting their refunds.  There has not been one, single person who has gotten their "100% refund" since the March 13 "Policy Update".  I've been tracking it on this board and on Carnival's Facebook.  If you think you're waiting in line, you definitely are, but the door at the end of the line has been closed for a while.  At most, all the requests are just piling up at Carnival Accounting and just sitting there.  The customer service rep. will tell you that your "refund is being processed" but it's clear that they're not actually initializing the refund or you would've gotten it in the standard 3-10 business days.  They're holding them up.  My guess is that Carnival is securing funding, loans, etc. to try and stay afloat and also ensure they can refund their customers.  This whole process can take a few months, hence why they're telling everyone "90+ days".  Problem is, they should just acknowledge this in a way because the situation isn't ideal and it's obvious we all want our money back.  As days go by, customers are going to get more frustrated and Carnival will continue to lose customer confidence.

Carnival acknowledged that they have offices in Miami closed because of the State-wide order.  We assume the accounting dept. is closed as well and their system doesn't allow workers to work remotely and issue refunds (it hardly even allows their employees to send e-mail confirmations...what a joke).  That'd be a lot of people's personal data they are taking home.  However, what is completely contrary is that their customer service dept. and PVPs are still working...obviously to ensure there is a cash flow for Carnival to take with bookings.  They want to see money coming "in" but are not ready just yet to see money going "out".

I think this is impacted more by your second paragraph then your first one, but at the end of the day all any of us can do is wait. I know from perusing other cruise line boards that Carnival isn't the only one in this situation. 

[shof515]

58 minutes ago, DWolf2020 said:

 However, what is completely contrary is that their customer service dept. and PVPs are still working...obviously to ensure there is a cash flow for Carnival to take with bookings.  They want to see money coming "in" but are not ready just yet to see money going "out".

most likely customer service and pvp is working from home.. the booking system is all online and depending on their phone system, they can make calls directly from their website so it appears like the call is from carnival on your caller id

[NightOne]

1 hour ago, DWolf2020 said:

We assume the accounting dept. is closed as well and their system doesn't allow workers to work remotely and issue refunds

 

I've been told by and employee that the accounting department is working from home and are processing refunds but I'm not sure either of us has a way to actually proof it one way or another.